Explore Paris with ArcGIS Online

In this lesson, you'll create a map of Paris, France, to learn the basics of working with maps in ArcGIS Online. Learn how to navigate, create, and save a map. Search for and mark locations, change the basemap, and add new layers.

This lesson was last tested on June 9, 2021.

Requirements

• User, Publisher, or Administrator role in an ArcGIS organization (get a free trial)

Explore Paris with ArcGIS Online

Navigate the map

You can move around on a map by panning, zooming, and searching.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have an organizational account, you can sign up for an ArcGIS free trial.

2. On the ribbon, click the Map tab.

   

   Note:

   Depending on your organizational and user settings, you may have opened Map Viewer, formerly known as Map Viewer Beta. ArcGIS Online offers two map viewers for viewing, using, and creating maps. For more information on the map viewers available, please see this FAQ.

   This lesson uses Map Viewer Classic.

3. If necessary, on the ribbon, click Open in Map Viewer Classic.

   Map Viewer Classic opens.

4. Zoom to Europe by clicking the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons and pan the map by dragging the map.

   

   Tip:

   You can also zoom by scrolling your mouse wheel or press Shift and draw a box around the area you want to zoom to.

   Panning changes the extent of the map, while zooming changes the scale. Next, you'll change the basemap, to have a different view of the earth while you explore.

5. On the ribbon, click the Basemap button.
6. In the basemap gallery, choose Imagery Hybrid.

   

7. Explore the new basemap by zooming and panning.

   As you zoom in, more labels appear, and the imagery is replaced by more detailed versions. The basemap is a multiscale map, meaning that it shows different information at different scales.

8. On the ribbon, in the search bar, type Eiffel Tower and press Enter.

   

   The map zooms to Paris and a pop-up appears over the Eiffel Tower.

   

Mark locations

The earth is a big place. Next, you'll mark some locations so you can more easily find them again.

1. On the Eiffel Tower pop-up, click Add to Map Notes.

   

   In the Contents pane, a new layer is added named Map Notes.

   

2. In the search bar, type Paris and press Enter.

   The map zooms out to show the city.

3. On the ribbon, click the Bookmarks button and click Add Bookmark.

   

4. Type Paris and press Enter.

   

5. Close the Bookmarked places window and the pop-up.

   Now that you've marked locations in two ways, you'll navigate to them.

6. In the Contents pane, point to the Map Notes layer. Click the More Options button that appears and choose Zoom to.

   

   The map zooms to the Eiffel Tower. It may have zoomed in too close.

7. Zoom out until the Eiffel Tower is visible.

   

8. On the ribbon, click the Bookmarks button and click Paris.

   The map zooms back out to show the extent of the city.

   

Add layers

Maps are made up of layers of data. You can add layers from different sources, for example, files stored on your computer, or data hosted on ArcGIS Online. The basemap you changed is one kind of layer, and the map note you added is another. Next, you'll add a layer from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World.

1. On the ribbon, click Add and choose Browse Living Atlas Layers.

   

2. In the search bar, type fontaines Paris and press Enter.
3. Locate the layer named Fontaines sur l'espace public à Paris and click the Add button to add the layer to the map.

   

   Over 1,000 points appear on the map.

   This layer contains data of water fountains in public spaces in the city. It is provided by the city's water department—Mairie de Paris / Direction de la Propreté et de l'Eau—via Esri France.

4. Click the back button to return to the Contents pane.

   

5. On the map, click any point in the Fontaines layer.

   

   A pop-ups appears, providing more information about each water fountain, including its address. The informational elements that are tied to each location are called attributes.

6. Close the pop-up.

Save the map

You may want to continue adding layers, but you'll save the map before making any further changes.

1. On the ribbon, click Save and click Save As.

   

2. For Title, type Paris, France, followed by your name or initials.
3. For Tags, type location, Eiffel Tower, water fountains, and press Enter. Three tags are created.
4. For Summary, type Map of Paris, showing the location of the Eiffel Tower, and of public water fountains.

   

5. Click Save Map.

   The map is saved to your ArcGIS Online account.

6. Above the ribbon, click Home and choose Content.

   

   The Content page appears. Your Paris, France map is listed at the top of the list.

   

In this lesson, you learned how to navigate a map by panning, zooming, and searching. You learned how to mark locations with map notes and with bookmarks. You learned how to change the basemap layer and add new layers to a map. Finally, you learned how to save a map and locate it on the Content page.

Using the same methods, create a map of another location, for example, your home.

You can find more lessons in the Learn ArcGIS Lesson Gallery.

Acknowledgements

• Water fountain data from Mairie de Paris / Direction de la Propreté et de l'Eau, via Esri France.
• Adapted from a lesson by Kathryn Keranen, teacher, author, and cofounder of the award-winning Geospatial Semester.